Justin Time: Thanks again
Killer-Kobloods: Here you go, now no potato throwing! They hurt!
A/N: No Link and Impa in this one; it's everyone elses's turn to shine!
The Hylian king fumed as he sprawled in an elegant chair, which replaced his destroyed throne. The three soldiers stood in front of him, nervous, and his younger brother stood on his right, slightly behind the chair.
"So you let this arrogant youth escape?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet. The leader shifted nervously, wondering what to say.
"Perhaps you should hear the entire story, brother," a soft voice said. The king nodded, and the soldier immediately began.
"We headed to the cave that Your Excellency used during the battle on the plains, for the Sheikah had alerted us of someone inhabiting it. We arrived, and a young man, who appeared to be about Your Majesty's nephew's age, stood in the mouth of the cave. He did not look to be in the best of health. When he was asked his name and business, he said nothing. After asking for the second time, he refused to give his name but said that he was from the forest." The king and his brother stared at the soldier, shocked. A person who hailed from the forest was out?
"He refused to pay the fine and threatened to tell the Guardian of the Forest. Then, a Sheikah woman arrived on horseback and leading one; the youth mounted the other horse, while it was still moving, and the two were off for the forest." The soldiers stood there, fidgeting, as their king digested the news.
"What of the Sheikah that were with you?"
The soldiers scowled, "They did not even move once they had found the cave." The other soldier nodded.
"It is true, My King. What's more, there were horse tracks leading up to where they hid. I have never known Sheikah to be without a mount, and they left on foot. I think the horses that the Sheikah woman had were theirs." The king nodded.
"Very well, you are dismissed. Send a messenger to Izal; I wish to speak to him about the actions of his scouts. The guards nodded, bowed low, and left, leaving their king and prince alone.
"Perhaps the horses were stolen," the prince said, trying to turn his brother's thoughts from treachery.
"Perhaps," the king admitted, "But I have never heard of someone, even another Sheikah, being able to steal two horses from behind two Sheikah." The prince sighed.
"Aegri, please, I seriously doubt that Izal would go against you."
Aegri glared at his younger brother, "That, my dear brother, is the reason why I am king and you are merely prince. Tell me Kelvin, why should I not suspect him of treachery?" Kelvin sighed; there was just no reasoning with his brother.
"Very well, I shall trust your judgment as king. If you will excuse me, Your Majesty, I will go make sure that the note is sent off." He bowed, and then headed to where the soldiers would be sending the note off. He arrived just as the leader of the three finished telling the clerk what to write.
"Excuse me," he said as he neared them, "But I need to add something to that note before you send it." The soldier nodded and moved out of the way.
"Would you like to write it, or shall I Prince Kelvin?" the clerk asked politely, knowing Kelvin's fondness for secrecy.
"I shall, and thank you for your thoughtfulness." The clerk nodded, and handing the letter and quill over, left the prince to his writing. The soldier noted that he would not be needed anymore and left.
Kelvin grimaced as he read the letter. The clerks knew exactly what Aegri wanted when he meant 'a note'.
To Izal, leader of the Sheikah, from Aegri, king of the Hylians and overlord of the great plains of this land and the high magic,
It has come to my attention that due to the lack of contribution from
two of your scouts that a person not of the Hylian nor Sheikah tribes was able
to journey across the plains without paying the toll. I should like to speak
with you on this matter, as it brings in to doubt your loyalty concerning our
alliance.
By my hand,
Aegri, sixth king of the Hylians
Kelvin stared at the paper, dipped the quill in the ink and began his own note at the bottom of the page.
Izal, greetings.
As the above note tells you, Aegri again doubts your loyalty.
I believe that this time he plans to cut the alliance completely, and he may
even be crazy enough to order your execution. Do not come alone my
friend, I beg of you. If you must come alone, then come to my place first, and I will accompany you to Aegri. He does not have the power to order me out, and he dares not order your death in my presence.
Zel and Selen send their love. Zel says that if you do not come and visit soon she will be very put out, and Aedan intends to have you fulfill your promise next time you visit. Should you ever need anything, you know where to come.
Keep well my friend,
Kelvin
He folded the note, sealed it with a wax seal bearing the emblem of the Hylians: a Triforce symbol with upsweeping laurels beneath it. He handed the note to the clerk, who placed it in a protective cover, sealed the cover with a line of wax, and gave it to the waiting messenger. Kelvin then left, headed for his own tent, where his wife, daughter, and son waited.
The letter reached Izal almost a seven day later. The Sheikah are not easy to find, so it was decided that all letters for them would be taken to a secure spot, where they would be picked up every third or fourth day. The fact that the Sheikah were still on the move to the Shadow Temple when the message was sent did not help.
Izal was not surprised when he read the letter. Both of the messages were what he was used to, though Kelvin's words warmed his heart some, as they always did. Zelda, or Zel as she liked to be called, was his niece and very close to his heart. Aedan, the eldest of the two, was a prodigy with the blade, and he was always eager to learn more. Kelvin and Aegri were his brothers-in-law, though Aegri was keen to forget that.
Izal closed his eyes in pain when he thought of his wife. Almost thirty years had passed since she was killed, but the pain never seemed to lessen. Xyli had been nothing like her older brother, Aegri. She was kind, courteous and always had a smile on her face. Instead of the pale golden hair her brothers had, hers was more of a golden honey colour. Her eyes, like all of the royal family's, were violet, and they were always twinkling with inner laughter. Where Kelvin was calm, she was constantly moving. They had one child, a beautiful baby boy who had inherited his ice blue eyes.
One day, while she was visiting a Hylian camp, it was attacked. By who, no one knew. Fire was used, but the attack was in the dead of the night. The Zora do not attack with fire, and there were no boulders around, excluding the Gorons as well. The Gerudo always attacked on horseback, and no horse tracks were found. Personally, Izal thought all three tribes to have too much honour to attack a defenseless camp. There were only woman and children, with a few soldiers. He knew that it was undead that had attacked, but the presence of the fire confused him then, and it still did now.
They had found her body near the forest; their son was no where to be found. Izal had refused to see anyone for a seven day after they found her; his sister was left in charge while he grieved. Xyli and he had been married as part of the alliance between the Hylians and the Sheikah, five years after the war had begun. He had not understood why that term had been included, but later he thought that it may have been because Aegri had wanted a spy in the Sheikah camp. The two of them had fallen deeply in love, and Xyli had taken to being a Sheikah as quickly as a shadow takes to night. Aegri, had he wanted her to be a spy, was out of luck. After the seven days of grieving had ended, Izal had emerged from his tent and took up command again. Nothing changed, but smiles did not come to his face as often, and he spoke even less. He had lost his only child, and so his entire reason for remaining alive was to protect his people. They were his children, and he was devoted to their safety.
Izal stood up, sending his gloomy thought away. He strode to the center of the caravan, calling for his sister. She came over, and the two stepped aside to talk. They were obviously related; they shared the ice blue eyes that were very unusual amongst the Sheikah and had similar facial structure. Like all Sheikah, they had white hair; Izal's was kept at his shoulders and his sister's, when not tied up, fell past her waist.
"Well brother, may your great sister do for you today?" she asked, teasing.
Izal ignored her tone and answered. "Our great ally has summoned me to discuss my loyalty," he said simply.
Isra scowled, "Can I go instead? Maybe then he'll stop calling you for useless reasons." Izal laughed.
"I am supposed to be the protective one, little sister. I shall be fine; Kelvin has offered me his protection, and I think I shall take it. Besides, I have not seen little Zel in ages."
"I doubt she is little anymore. She will be thirteen this year, correct?" Isra asked. She too was fond of the fiery young girl. It was her opinion that Zel would make a fine Sheikah, but she kept that to herself.
"Yes, she will, and her brother will be nineteen. He comes of age this year. Anyways, we should arrive at the Temple tomorrow. After everyone is in, I will leave for the Hylian camp. You are in charge; everyone must be settled as quickly as possible. The Sage's chamber is off limits; the Sage of Light has permitted us to us the Temple as long as we leave that chamber empty. Understood?"
Isra nodded gravely; it was troubling that they were forced to use the Temple, for there was no way out besides the entrance that anyone knew of. It worried her, for they had always had a way out; always. Izal sighed, and the two watched the caravan move on. Isra glanced at him, and she was sobered by the amount her brother had aged. Laughter kept the soul young, and Izal had had little of that for thirty years. He alone was burdened by the song that would open the Door of Time when played with the Ocarina of Time. All the Sheikah knew the song that would warp them to the Shadow Temple, Izal had made sure of that. In the time that he had led the Sheikah, their casualty numbers had gone down. All his work had taken its toll though, and it could be seen in the lines on his forehead and by his eyes. She never told her brother, but he worried her.
In the Gerudo camp, a young man was brought before their King. The youth was a prisoner of war, and a profitable one at that. His violet eyes, flashing in anger, and his pale, spun gold hair marked him as part of the Hylian royal family. His name was Aedan, and he was Prince Kelvin's son and nephew to King Aegri.
The Gerudo king smirked as he surveyed the young man. He stood up and walked around, taunting him.
"Well, well. Like father like son it seems. Was it only twenty six years ago that your father stood in a similar position before me?"
Aedan ground his teeth, refusing to respond to the Gerudo's taunts. The tall king stopped in front of him, his reddish brown eyes looking at him in amusement. He spun around, his long hair flying, and gave orders for Aedan to be put in a holding cell.
"A nice one," he ordered, "The better condition our princeling is in, the more money we receive." Two Gerudo women grinned and carried out their king's orders. Hauling Aedan by his bound arms, they dragged him down to the bottom of the clay building, where he was thrown into a cell. It was dry and had a bed, but it was still a cell.
Once they were gone, Aedan flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts roamed to earlier in the day, when his small group of soldiers had been ambushed by the Gerudo. All had been killed, except for him. He grieved for the deaths of the twenty odd soldiers; they had been good men. However, they were not good enough to recognize the signs of a Gerudo attack. The mounted attackers had swooped in, and just as quickly, swooped out with an extra person.
At least they all died instantly, Aedan thought bleakly, trying to garner some hope from the situation. No one would be lying on the hard ground, waiting as his life slowly drained away, watching the buzzards.
Soon the young man was asleep; the day had exhausted him. Aedan took after his father in many ways. Instead of ranting and yelling as his uncle did, he merely sat back and analysed the situation. Soft words instead of threats were used, and he never dwelled on what he could not change, or he tried very hard not to. Aedan did not know it, for his father spoke very little about his time locked up, but he was mimicking his father's actions to the tee. Kelvin, when he had been put in his cell, did the only thing he could: sleep. The similarity amused his captor, who had asked for a detailed account of Aedan's actions.
Meanwhile, in the Hylian camp, Kelvin was worried about his son.
"He should have been here hours ago," he muttered, pacing. His wife, who was cooking dinner, chided him.
"Since when have patrols come in on time?" she demanded. "And how many times have I waited up late for you when you return hours later than when you said you'd be back?" Kelvin sighed; there was no point in even trying to answer. His daughter, just turned thirteen, giggled from her seat at the window.
"Mom's right; besides, Aedan can take care of himself." Her violet eyes twinkled, and Kelvin allowed himself to relax. They were right, of course. That thought though, did not keep him from staring out the window that faced the gates.
A small arm slipped itself around his waist. He looked over to see his wife's deep green eyes and her knowing smile.
"He'll be back, don't worry." He smiled and leaned over, kissing her forehead. A disgusted noise from the window seat drew their attention to the blonde haired girl.
"Disgusting…" she muttered. Selen grinned, drew her husband close, and passionately kissed him. When they withdrew, Zelda was gone, hiding behind the padded bench. The two laughed. Selen returned to the kitchen area while Kelvin proceeded to tease his daughter heartlessly.
"You know Zel, one day you are going to have to kiss someone," he said.
"I know," came her miserable reply, "But it's not like you have to kiss in front of me…" He laughed and pulled her up from her seated position.
"We are just looking out for you; we want you to be prepared for that day," he said as he tried, unsuccessfully, to smother another laugh. The disgust on her face was just too funny.
When dinner rolled around, a plate was set aside for Aedan in hope that he would soon arrive. He did not, and the family had a pleasant, although empty feeling, dinner. Afterwards, Kelvin offered to clean up. Selen relinquished the task gladly, and Zelda helped her father. Hoof beats at the gate distracted him; the horse appeared to be a Gerudo breed. Zelda noticed her father's gaze and offered to finish. A look of indecision flitted across his face, replaced by one of gratitude.
"Thanks sweety; I'll be back soon, okay?" She nodded, and he kissed her on the top of her head, chuckling at her grimace.
"Where are you going?" Selen asked as he grabbed a cloak.
"Just to Aegri's place; he'll know who the rider was. I'll be back as soon as I can." She nodded, received his quick kiss, and watched him go. Selen walked over to Zelda and began to help her.
"I can do it; you don't have to help Mom," she protested, but Selen just shook her head. Something was bothering her, and she needed to keep busy. Zelda, noticing the masked worry on her mother's face, said nothing. She had been like this when Kelvin had been badly wounded, always moving, always busy.
When Kelvin arrived at the King's house, if that's what the hastily erected structures could be called, he heard orders for someone to fetch him.
"I am here already," he called out as he hung his cloak. He walked over to Aegri, whose sobered face shocked him. News either made the king happy or angry; there was never any sadness expressed.
"Kelvin, the message was from the Gerudo king. He sent us a ransom note." Aegri stared at Kelvin, who had all of a sudden paled.
"Goddesses, no…" he breathed, "Not… not Aedan?" Aegri nodded, and he groaned. Now he knew why his brother's face had held the sad expression; besides being his nephew, Aedan was his heir.
"What does he want?" he asked Aegri, his voice harsh.
"Kelvin, now is not the time. Go back to your family; we'll discuss it in the morning." Kelvin gave a short, bitter laugh.
"What does he want, Aegri? I'm not going to sleep anyways, so just tell me." Aegri sighed, and the attendants looked at each other in wonder. The capture of his nephew had hit the king hard; normally, he would not take this kind of disrespect from anyone, including his brother.
"He wants the land from the eastern edge of Lake Hylia to the desert." Kelvin stared at him, shocked.
"Damn him," he muttered. Aegri looked at his younger brother, worried. So often it was he who showed temper, and Kelvin who calmed him down. However, this matter concerned the Gerudo, and ever since his capture twenty six years ago, Kelvin had always been touchy about the Gerudos.
"Go home Kelvin," Aegri urged lightly. Kelvin looked around and acquiesced.
"Yes, yes I think I will." He turned around and left without bowing, but Aegri forgave him the lack of courtesy. The door slammed, marking Kelvin's departure
"Guard!" Aegri called, and a soldier stepped up. "Follow him and make sure he returns to his house safely." The guard bowed and left, silently tailing the prince.
When Kelvin reached his door, he noticed the guard. The fact that it took him so long to notice the man annoyed him, despite the fact that he was not thinking clearly.
"Wait here; I need you to escort my daughter to the Goodwife Glenn's house." He entered the house, and the guard patiently waited outside.
When they heard the door open, Selen and Zelda rushed over. The wait had taxed both of their nerves, and they wanted nothing more than to hear that everything was alright. The sight of Kelvin's face destroyed that hope, and Selen began to frantically worry for her son.
"Pappa, what is it? What's wrong?" Zelda asked, worried by her father's expression. He sighed and pushed her towards her room.
"Go pack your bag for the night," he told her, "A guard is waiting outside to escort you to Goodwife Glenn's house." Any other night, Zelda would have jumped for joy. Her best friend was the Goodwife's daughter, but tonight, she wanted to spend with her parents.
"Kelvin, are you sure? What is it?" Selen asked, becoming more frantic.
"Yes, I'm sure. Zelda, go pack your bag," he said again, his tone firm. Zelda knew better than to disobey when he used that tone of voice, so she went to her room and began to stuff her night shirt and a dress into a bag.
Kelvin looked at his wife and pulled her close.
"The Gerudo have Aedan," he whispered in her ear. Selen gasped, not willing to believe it.
"They can-" she began before she choked. Tears streamed down, and she buried her face in his chest.
"Pappa? What's wrong with Mom?" a small voice asked. Kelvin looked at his daughter, battling with himself over whether or not to tell her.
"If I tell you, will you go to the Goodwife's and be good?" he asked, suddenly very tired. Zelda nodded meekly.
"The Gerudo are holding Aedan hostage," he said softly, and Zelda's eyes grew large.
"No! NO!" she shouted, dropping her bag, "NO! They can't!" Selen let go of her husband and walked over to her daughter.
"Sweety," she began, but Zelda would not let her get anywhere.
"They can't! He wasn't going anywhere near them!" Tears flooded from her eyes. Kelvin walked over and engulfed his daughter in a big hug.
"They can and will capture anyone they can," he said soothingly. "They caught me, after all." Zelda sniffled, her temper worked out.
"But it's not right; it's not fair," she whispered. He released her and wiped away a few tears.
"Life is not fair honey," her mother whispered as she sat down on a chair. Zelda scrubbed away the remaining tears with the back of her hand.
"I'm ready to go now," she said, her lip quivering. Kelvin had to smile at her strength. He gave her a hug and sent her out to the guard. He and Selen watched as the tall man escorted the small girl down the road. He was carrying her bag, and she kicked rocks along the way, wiping her hand across her face every now and then.
Selen was about to stand up when a violent sob racked her body. Tears started streaming again, and she hid her face in her hands. Kelvin wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Selen was not a strong person; her body was frail and her constitution weak. Sobs tore out of her throat, and she shook as her despair increased. Kelvin rubbed her back, murmuring soothing words.
Twenty one years ago he had returned, his ransom finally paid, to his bride of five years. Three days after their wedding, he was forced to lead a patrol party as news of increased Gerudo activity reached his late father's ears. His entire troupe had been killed, and he was imprisoned until the ransom demanded was paid. His father died shortly after that; he was told it was from the shock and grief caused by his capture. For whatever reason, he did not care what, it was five years until he was released. When he returned and entered his house, Selen had been in the kitchen, preparing dinner. There was a second plate on the table.
"Who is the guest?" he had asked, and she whirled around. The next thing he knew, she had her arms wrapped around his neck, and she was crying.
"It's for you, silly. It's been there for five years, waiting for you." Happiness overtook him, and he hugged her back.
Kelvin smiled sadly at the memory and released his wife, whose sobbing had died down.
"It'll be alright; we'll get him back," he told her, feeling less confidant than what his words revealed. There was no way Aegri would hand over the land demanded, for blood kin or not. Kelvin stood up and put the kettle over the fire. When it boiled, he poured it into two cups with tea bags. He then returned to his wife and handed her one of the cups. As the night wore on, they stayed up, drinking tea and talking. Neither of them could sleep for worry.